"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." - Matthew 6:9-13
"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For
where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them." - Matthew 18:19-20
"And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the
same words." - Matthew 26:44
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of
[this] calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of [his] goodness, and the work of faith
with power...." - 2 Thessalonians 1:11
"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free]
course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you...." - 2 Thessalonians 3:1
"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of
eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'" - Revelations 4:8
What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on
"Ritual Prayer:"
2726. "In the battle of prayer, we must face
in ourselves and around us erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a
simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental
void. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians
unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other
things they have to do: they 'don't have the time.' Those who seek God by prayer are
quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit
and not from themselves alone."
2776. "The Lord's Prayer is the quintessential prayer of the Church. It is an
integral part of the major hours of the Divine Office and of the sacraments of Christian
initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Integrated into the Eucharist it reveals
the eschatological character of its petitions, hoping for the Lord, 'until he comes' (1
Cor 11:26)."
COMMENTS
Where there are two or more people praying for the same thing, "it shall be done
to them by my Father who is in heaven." Doesn't this explain the concept of ritual
prayer in the Catholic Church? Yes, there is a danger of "just saying the words"
without meaning them. But this is a problem with the individual Christian, not a problem
with the concept of ritual prayer. If God didn't want us to pray the same prayer more than
once, why did He give us the Lord's Prayer (the "Our Father")? Christ
Himself repeated the exact same words in prayer (Matthew 26:44). The angels
in heaven also repeat the same prayers in praise of God the Father (Revelations 4:8
).
Ritual Prayer 